presidential history last time around. our coverage of the vp match starts tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. eastern. cannot wait. we'll see it there. debate in danville. the vice-presidential candidates square off tonight in their only face-to-face as polls tighten. developing in miami, trapped for 13 hours under concrete, a construction worker is pulled out alive from a collapsed parking garage that's already killed two. the search for survivors continues. and a search of another kind, a hearing over the benghazi terror attack that led to four deaths including u.s. ambassador chris stevens gets seriously heated. details next. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc.

debate day in america. vice president joe biden and paul ryan prepare to square off tonight in kentucky. new poll numbers show the current vp has his work cut out for him. according to a new survey from the pugh center, 39% of registered voters view biden favorably. that's compared to 44% who favor ryan. when it comes to predicting the winner of tonight's debate, 40% of registered voters say ryan will come out on top. 34% think biden will prevail. nbc's tracie potts has a preview of tonight's debate. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the pressure is on vice president biden to try to turn things around after the presidential debate last week. he has the experience on the debate stage to do so. but as you saw in the numbers, it looks like the public is betting more on paul ryan. ryan took a bit of an exertion

yesterday while he was practicing in florida saying that the vice president will probably come at me like a cannonball. but that the obama record, as ryan put it, is his achilles heel. ryan is in kentucky after debate preps in florida and virginia. he's done three mock debates. meantime, the vice president has been in delaware focusing on ryan's book, on his speeches, on his budget. he says he wants to give ryan no chance to say this was not our position. the white house reluctant to address the debate last week saying that next week the president wants to focus on governing but as you saw, it looks like a lot of people think this week the debate may go to ryan. we'll find out tonight. >> we sure will. don't miss tonight's coverage at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific time right here on msnbc. this morning we do have brand new nbc news/"wall street

journal" polls on three of the key swing states. nbc news senior political editor mark murray joins us on the phone. good morning to you, mark. of course, thank you so much for waking up early. hopefully you have a pot of coffee going. i know it's going to be a long day on this debate. so tell me what is happening? the three states, virginia, florida, and the all important state of ohio? >> these are the three biggest battleground states. we went into the field in the three states before last week's debate. we're coming out with new polls right afterwards. and what they show is that there has been some movement in mitt romney's direction since his debate performance last week. but not a whole lot. so in the state of virginia which actually had their biggest movement, president obama last week was up two points, 48% to 46%. now it's mitt romney at 1%, 48%, 47% and this is all in the margin of error. in florida, it's president obama went in to the debate last week up 1% in the state.

he remains up 1%, 48% to 47%. and in ohio, the last week right before the debate, he was leading mitt romney by eight points. now it's six points, 51% to 45%. >> so we're seeing some of the shift after the debate, although it's not a significant shift in numbers. but how is the white house reacting to the new numbers coming out? >> i think they're pretty comforted by them. they see that mitt romney was able to make some marginal gains but nothing that substantially transformed the race. now, of course, they need a good debate performance from joe biden tonight, two more solid debate performances by president obama at the second and third debates. i think they can take a lot of comfort in that ohio figure. as well, the fact that they are still very competitive in florida and virginia. you look at all they're routes to the electoral votes and they feel they still have the same routes. >> we'll see how tonight goes and whether or not there is any shift after that. mark murray, thank you so much

for waking up early for us. we appreciate it. >> thanks, lynn. today marks one month since the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. yesterday the white house again denied any intentional cover-up of what led to the assault and said the investigation continues. lawmakers demanded to know how lax security may have been and whether warning signs were ignored. steve handlesman is in washington. >> reporter: to highlight his concern, president obama had his terrorism adviser john brennan in libya to push the investigation of the 9/11/2012 attack that killed ambassador chris stevens and three others. but republicans at the house hearing charged the obama state department showed a lack of concern last summer after u.s. facilities in benghazi were attacked twice. >> i believe, personally, with more assets, more resources just meeting the minimum standards we could have and should have saved

the life of ambassador stevens and the other people that were there. >> reporter: one of the witnesses agreed, lieutenant colonel andrew wood ran embassy security until august. >> the situation was uncertain eastern reports from libyans indicated it was getting worse. >> reporter: five agents protected the main compound. staffers recommended more. >> there wasn't sufficient resources provided. >> that was one of the main reasons i continued to ask for those resources, yes. >> reporter: but back in washington, the assistant secretary of state said no. >> sir, we had the correct number of assets in benghazi at the time of 9/11 for what had been agreed upon. >> saying you had the correct number and our ambassador and three other individuals are dead and people are in the hospital recovering because it only took moments to breech that facility somehow doesn't seem to ring true to the american people. >> reporter: the state department now says two u.s. compounds were hit that night, one by a mortar that killed navy

seals who tried to save the ambassador. i'm steve handlesman, nbc news, washington. and here's a first look at the other news going on around america today. we're going to begin in california with a parents nightmare at a youth football game. a violent scuffle broke out between opposing coaches. it's unclear what started the may lay. it was stopped before any of the children or adults were injured. thankfully. two florida construction workers were killed in a parking garage collapse. one witness said the five story lot was under construction whether it just fell luke a house of cards. rescuers pulled one survivor from the rubble 13 hours after the collapse. crews are going to continue searching for the lone unaccounted for worker this morning. and there goes the bride in new jersey. this woman swiped a $5,000 wedding dress in broad daylight. she had a group of friends and a small child to distract the shop owners while she escaped. police are still looking for the

woman. and now for a look at your national weather, let's turn to bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. >> a little chill in the air. people walking into work are like -- >> no complaints here. >> takes a little while for the body to adjust. temperatures are the coldest this morning in the great lakes and ohio valley. this is the cold air that plunged down from canada and midwest yesterday. and now it's sweeping to the east coast. and you'll feel it this morning as you head outside. it's not too bad wind chillwise. the temperature is down to the 30s in many areas. no 20s yet. detroit is at 31. so that's going to be the suburbs, i'm sure. and indianapolis, 25 and down through kentucky and ohio. now new england, it's a little bit breezy. the cold air hasn't quite arrived yet. it's cool in the 40s. wind chills are in the upper 30s to low 40s. even new york city to philadelphia, it's still a little breezy out there this morning. so probably put on the winter coats for the kids if they're standing outside for any length of time at the bus stop this morning. the breezy conditions will give way to high pressure and clear

skies this afternoon. so the only areas of really rain or snow, upper peninsula of michigan dealing with some rain and snow showers this morning. maybe green bay, a sprinkle or two. otherwise, a dry forecast around the country. a beautiful afternoon through new england and even much of the nation. really no travel issues out there during the day to day. it gets more active towards the weekend, unfortunately. the end of our great weather pattern. >> all right, bill. we'll check back in with you on that. a possible development in the search for a missing 10-year-old colorado girl and the best places to live for working moms. plus, an awkward situation for florida's governor and a phone sex line. we're going to explain in "scrambled politics." you're watching "first look" on msnbc. ♪

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welcome back. a body has been found near denver during the search for a 10-year-old girl missing since friday. however, right now police say they're unable to connect the discovery to missing jessica ridgeway who was seven miles

away. we'll be sure to keep you updatd. people across pakistan stood up to the taliban taking to the streets to condemn the attempted murder of a 14-year-old girl shot in the head after blogging about girls' rights. she is reported to be out of immediate danger. doctors have moved her to a hospital outside islamabad. the massachusetts pharmacy suspected of being the source of a current deadly meningitis outbreak settled a lawsuit five years ago after a previous meningitis death. both that pharmacy and a second drug company with the same owner have temporarily suspended operations. after arguments wednesday, the supreme court is deciding whether the university of texas went too far in considering race as a factor in student admissions. texas executed convicted rapist and child killer jonathan green last night despite his attorney's claim green was mentally ill. russia doesn't want the u.s. to continue helping secure and dismantle the nuclear arsenal

without major changes to the deal. meanwhile, russian leader vladimir putin is getting love from a group of attractive young ladies. they starred in a new video honoring his 60th birthday. here's a first look at your dish of "scrambled politics." president obama is promising we'll see more activity in the two debates remaining with mitt romney. the president says he was "too polite" in their first meeting. ann romney appeared on morning tv and was demonstrating how to make the famous welsh cakes which something went terribly wrong. the griddle she was using was too hot and some of the cakes paid the price. first lady michelle obama told ivillage that their daughters are more focused on friends and school than they are dad's campaign. she said, "they don't ask about the election. they don't care." mitt romney's more middle of the road performance has been noticed by former president clinton who mocked what he thinks is a softer tone from

romney. >> wow! here's old moderate mitt. where you been, boy? i missed you all these last two years. >> rick scott accidentally sent people to the wrong phone number for information on the meningitis outbreak. the governor mistakingly transposed two numbers. so instead of the health department, callers were connected to an adult only hotline. oops. and we're going to get a look at the first presidential debate courtesy of our favorite folks over at bad lip-reading. >> the hot tub is cool now. >> i love you, too, okay? i want you to turn and look at me. >> he's asleep. >> party time, chumps. >> hilarious. that's your morning dish of "scrambled politics." all right, back to the serious

stuff. here's your first look at how wall street is going to kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,344 after slipping 128 points yesterday. the s&p 500 fell eight, the nasdaq lost 13. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, tokyo, nikkei is down 49 points. in hong kong, hang seng gained 79. on wall street wednesday, walmart was the big bright spot hitting an all time high on this season's lay away success and plans for more small scale stores. elsewhere, j.p. morgan chase's cfo is stepping down at the end of the year. the bank's ceo jamie diamond also made headlines yesterday backing democrats on the tax cut debate saying he's willing to pay a higher individual rate. meanwhile, west gate resort mogul david siegel known for his 90,000 square foot home warned i had 6500 employees if president obama is re-elected, he'll be forced to downsize or shut down entirely. eastman kodak wants a bankruptcy judge to allow it to end benefits to 56,000 retirees.

on the data front, september foreclosure filings dropped to a five-year low. and home heating oil could be 19% more expensive this winter. according to forbes, columbus, ohio, is the best u.s. city for working moms followed by new orleans, hartford, cincinnati and providence. it is the end of an era for coca-cola. the very last iconic 6 1/2 ounce returnable glass bottle rolled off the production line in minnesota on tuesday. finally, how about this for a cheesy will you be 'tis ti stunt. pizza hut is offering free pizza for life or over $15,000 for anyone willing to stand up and ask either candidate if they prefer sausage or pepperoni on their pie. aren't there so many or more than questions to ask? come on, people. coming up, a report on cycling legend lance armstrong and doping. the as fight to survive another day and one yankee slugger puts

his hero hat on twice in one game. sports is straight ahead. [ male announcer ] how do you measure happiness?

by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. welcome back. in sports, first to the brofrpgz. joe girardi makes a gutsy call pinch-hitting raul ib an yez. it does pay off. he hits a home run to take the game to extras. three innings later, ibanez connects again with a homer for a stunning 3-2 yankee victory.

over to oakland, down 3-1 in the ninth. the as seth smith hit a double and coco crisp capped off the come back with a two out rbi single. in cincinnati, the giants hit three home runs and tim lincecum pitched like the two-time cy young award winner he is for an 8-3 victory over the reds. washington, cardinals rookie hit a homer in the second. chris carpenter pitched scoreless ball into the sixth and leaguers finished the 8-0 shutout to the cards. former nfl player alex karras died yesterday at the age of 77. he was a four time pro bowl defensive tackle for the detroit lions. after football he was known as his role on the sitcom "webster" and in movies for the role of mongo in "blazing saddles." the u.s. anti-doping agency

revealed to lance armstrong the names of 26 people who accused him of doping, 11 of which were former teammates. the report accuses armstrong of blood doping for most of his career and expecting teammates to do the same. armstrong did not fight the u.s. charges but insists he never cheated. and now for another look at the weather, we check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. we're happy about the yankees this morning, bill. you've been talking about it since you walk in. >> tough doing the morning shift. i missed a moment last night. probably happened 11:30 or midnight. >> a lot of cheers. >> really? >> we missed you. we did. >> i don't think i'll be here at midnight any time soon. >> good morning, everybody. it's a cold start to your day as you walk out this morning. all the way from the great lakes, ohio valley and into new england, wind chills in the 20s. look, 26 in detroit. one of the coldest mornings we've seen yet. this afternoon, at least with the october sunshine, it should

be a nice afternoon. 60 degrees in boston. 62 in washington, d.c. only 50s, though, many areas of the ohio valley. there's not a lot of troublesome weather. we'll see showers and storms in areas of southern california into arizona. now as we go through the next couple days, the storm that is down here today in southern california, eventually make its way to the central plains. it doesn't look too problematic even as we go through friday. maybe a few strong thunderstorms kansas city to oklahoma city. by the time we get to saturday, really tap into the moisture in the gulf of mexico. a stormy day on saturday. even severe storms. mostly large hail and damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. texas, kansas city and to chicago, i know it's been cold and winter like, we're going to go to a spring pattern as we go through saturday. a heads up for all those fall outdoor activities. >> good one. thanks, bill. coming up, criminals target a teen heartthrob and 2012's most influential man. plus, the laydown on taylor swift's wedding crasher

incident. so what really happened at that kennedy affair? you're watching "first look." ♪ i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios

nah. [ dennis' voice ] i bet he's got an allstate agent. they can save you up to 30% more by bundling your policies. well his dog's stupid. [ dennis' voice ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. are you in good hands?

thisust is not justin bieber's week. he's brn hit twice by criminal acts. i had a camera and computer stolen while performing in tacoma, washington. and yesterday he was targeted by swatting. someone calls 911 and claim a crime has been committed at their home. it's like ding dong ditch but worst. thankfully he is okay. actress jennifer garner is speaking up for america's kids n washington, she appealed for more educational funding saying children are falling behind in

school. the list of the most influential men of 2012. you won't believe who is o top the list, bond, james bond. but it's not the actor, just the fictional character. likely due to the new 007 film coming out. >> and finally, taylor swift is setting the record straight about crashing that kennedy wedding in august. she has been dating connor kennedy tells rolling stone it was all just a big misunderstanding. and she never showed up uninvited or wanted to upstage anyone. any ideas how she is going to write a song about this. >> is she being tarnished a little bit? >> it's too often in the news about the dating life of taylor swift. >> maybe you should write songs about it. >> maybe. >> they should call you up and get advice on dating. >> i can do a "dear abby" thing. i can start it today. >> you're on to something.

hop on to your twitter page. everybody at home, hop on and ask bill on his twitter page. >> dating advice. >> foolproof. >> i'm lynn berry. stay tuned. "way too early" is next. tonight, biden-ryan, two men enter, two men are going to leave. it should be interesting anyway. a clash of world views with pressure on the obama side now after the president's own performance a week ago. the question is, with margin of error rates in just about every swing state now, how important have these debates become? the congressional hearing into what exactly happened at the u.s. consulate in benghazi begins with testimony from an american security officer about requests made for more security ahead of at tack. the question is, what is the white house's account of what happened that night in libya. and raul